MOSCOW: The Russian rouble fell on Friday morning, tracking the oil price lower, with markets cautious ahead of monthly US jobs data that may influence the dollar.
At 0755 GMT, the rouble was 0.3 percent weaker against the dollar at 77.22 and had lost 0.3 percent to 86.46 versus the euro. Brent crude oil, a global benchmark for Russia's main export, was down 0.7 percent at $34.2 a barrel.
"Oil as before remains the basic driver," ING economist Dmitry Polevoy said in a note.
"Therefore there are probably not many who want to play the rouble aggressively, considering the chances of sharp moves in either direction."
Rosbank analysts said in a note the forex market is also cautious ahead of the upcoming US jobs report.
A large gain in US employment may lead markets to increase their bets on higher US interest rates, boosting the dollar and weakening emerging market currencies such as the rouble.
Russian share indexes were also lower.
The dollar-denominated RTS index was down 2.1 percent to 721 points, while the rouble-based MICEX was 0.6 percent lower at 1,777 points.-Reuters
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